Carol - Updates

It is wonderful that you are there and able to do that Granjura. I am convinced that once this gets on local TV, radio and in newspapers that we will see progress. Traditional media are still the most powerful in France, I think.

Just had the journalist on the phone from France Bleu. Was able to give her more info on Carol and her habits- and on the fact that local police found clear signs in the flat yesterday... at last... that all signs indicate that she left the flat for the day, not for a longer trip on a whim (washing-up, fresh food in fridge, etc). I told her that a friend from Gransnet recently stayed with her and commented on how bright and switched-on she is, confident driver, and knows the local area so well.

She intends to keep the pressure and ask all to keep eyes peeled for the car.

Well done Granjura. You've been a real brick.

France Bleu is local radio isn't it. That should really help.

Granjura you deserve a medal!

No thanks, PLEASE truly. Waste fo space.

Also made appeals in French and English on local radio 74.

Agreed - keep it lean!

Family updated of latest on here.

Hope it's ok, I have just spoken to someone on a French Forum who said they had spoken to Carol recently and she had said that she was going to seek advice about wintering her car and about taking out the battery to store in her apartment as she is off to New Zealand. I have asked when they last heard from her, will report back if any news.

Did they know if she had done that before and if so the firm she used and had she spoken to them recently?

Have asked when last contact was but will go back and ask re firm?

Have done that, will let you know as soon as I hear anything.

No Carol never over wintered the car before and always left it with us when in NZ- and we took her to half-way to airport and back, then she took the train for the rest of journey.

Re the wintering her car. This was a discussion on French Entree

www.france-forum-frenchentree.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=142325&p=1254019#p1254019

which was on the 8th October and where Cardi offered advice via the forum. This is the same person to whom positivpam refers.

Not sure why this is relevant? She wasn't going to New Zealand yet and she had left the flat in a way that suggested she had just popped out for a bit.

Any comment on any forum that might throw up something mentioned in a conversation is relevant as there are pieces of a jigsaw missing and even the smallest piece might make more sense of what might have happened.

Fine, but maybe one for the "suggestions" thread rather than firm updates? Just thinking of when and the stuff she needs to pass on.

Just because you've not done something before doesn't mean you won't try something new and possibly she hadn't approached Granjura this time and was working out what to do.

Please folks - we really need to keep this thread for updates, so that things don't get repeated and confused. Thanks.

Sorry for any confusion but the post I read by cardi was put on a forum yesterday and I just thought it might help.

Carol mentioned speaking tentatively to the janitor about getitng a lift from him to Geneva airport in December. It would then make sense that she could put her battery in her apartment till she returned. It wasn't finalised, though, last time she mentioned it.

So sorry not to have been active today - driving back to UK. I have now also left French messages on the speed camera site, and emailed Chatel radio (*Granjura*, the radio broadcasts were an inspired action from you, I don't know if my local one is different from the 74 you were on, but I thought extra nagging can't hurt and if they are different, it will add another iota).
I feel like a rat going back to UK, but can't avoid.

I had one general reply to my post on http://planetepassion.freeforums.org
Now Pm'd contacts in the area.

I posted this on the suggestions thread but maybe it belongs here.
Please feel free to delete one of them, I don't want to clog up the forum with unnecessary stuff.

*I've pasted a couple of posts from a Swiss expat forum here. There were people out searching the local area yesterday but didn't find anything. They handed out posters etc.
See details below.*

Post 1

I'm just back home from carols area. I'm so sorry to bring no news.

We met folk along the way, dropped off photocopies of her picture and her car and finally did an interview with a tv station from Grenoble.
I feel deflated. We did hours of tracks and roads and looked at every car with hope. I'm so so so sad because its so cold up there

I met a couple of women today, so kind and so lovely who had lost a friend the same way. Now I'm going to pick up my daughter the last leg of my 400k today and have a quiet moment to pray for someone to find her soon.

Post 2

I just came back from Habère-Poche two hours ago.

Met Sapin here.

No sign of Carol or her car. Searching for a missing person in this area is akin to searching for a needle in a haystack: there are too many unpaved steep roads and even more wet muddy trails... a nightmare.

Narrow steep curvy roads with very deep precipices + lack of adequate guard rails + wet leaves covered and poorly maintained pavement make driving in this area very hazardous.

You cannot efficiently search with a car. What we really needed was a cross motorcycle, a horse or a helicopter to search all the ravines.

Due to the very unfriendly terrain, we need at least 40 motivated people, each searching an alloted sector by walking. Based on my calculation, you have an area of roughly 120 sq km (45 sq mi) to search

The cold wet weather (Hudelwetter) made our search even more difficult

We were interviewed by a local French TV in front of Carol's residence, I was so tired and frozen that I could hardly open my mouth and find my words when she asked me whether I'm worried about her disappearance... I just hope I didn't mumble... Sapin answered most questions - in French - and she did great!

Parked my car at St-Gingolph border crossing, entered inside the customs booth and explained the incident to Swiss Grenzwacht/gardes-frontière officers. I also handed them a copy of the flyer. I really appreciated: they took her disappearance very seriously...